Stinckfâ—ldius and their scholer vvhether they be at Zuruke or in vvhat place else soeuer vnder the sâ—nne Thus Luther If you know this Maister Whitaker as you wil seeme to be ignorant of nothing what maketh you so busily to defend Luthers barbarous and proude vauntes as though he were such a piller without whom your church could not stande But belyke it is sufficient that he was an Apostata frier as were the founders of your gospel that he with you agreed in rayling at the Pope and Sea of Rome and so for his agreeing with you in these smaler toyes you care not for his disagreeing from you in those weightie matters Wel be it as you liste and perhaps you haue more reason then I perceaue otherwise you shall neuer be able to iustifie this demeanure in the sight of any man endued with common sence Let vs heare how conningly you cure this stinking sore for nothing stinketh more before the face of God and man then a poore contemptible wretch so Lucifer-lyke to prefer him selfe before inumerable excellent learned and glorious Saintes of God What distinction haue you to saue Luthers honestie Forsooth this In certaine cases Luther might more esteeme of his ovvne iudgement then of Austine Ciprian or a thousand Churches For if that vvhich Luther taught vvere agreable to Gods vvord then Luthers iudgment vvas to be preferred before the contrarie iudgment of al men and Churches Here M. VV. thinketh he hath spoken much to the purpose and therefore aduaunceth him selfe alofte Scripturam Lutherus protulit cuinullus mortalis resistit quaeque tandem Pontificiis decretis pesteÌ„ atque exitium afferet Luther brought vvith him scripture vvhich no mortall man can vvithstand and vvhich at length shall be the bane and distruction of the Popish decrees That I may the better conceaue this distinction and ether yelde to it if it stand with reason or discouer the vanitie of it if it fal out to be but a peeuish battologie of wordes as I trowe it will proue let me require a playner explication of that parte Luther might vvell prefer his iudgment before a thousand Austines Ciprianes and Churches if he spake vvith scripture Is this the meaning that in case and controuersie of religion if a thousand Ciprians that is all the Fathers teach vs one thing and bringe scriptures for them and one father Luther teach vs the contrarie and bringe scriptures for him may Luther in this case preferre his owne iudgement before al those Fathers if so as the speach it selfe is so monstrous execrable as the deuil him selfe can not open his mouth into more horrible pride so what heresie what Apostasie what Atheisme in the church can euer be coÌ„trouled if this rule be made currante why shoud Arrius yelde to the Councel of Nice Nestorius to the Councel of Ephesus Macedonius to the CouÌ„cel of Constantinople seinge they brought scriptures for them and by this rule ought to haue preferred their priuate iudgment before those byshops as Luther his offpringe doe theirs before the Councel of Trente or will he say that if perhaps a thousand Austines and Churches teache some doctrine without the writteÌ„ worde of God that is citing no text for it Luther against the same bring the written worde that is some texte of the scripture after his seÌ„se in this case he may better esteeme of himselfe then of al the rest But first he can neuer geue instance that ether the auncient fathers did so in their tymes or that we do so now for howsoeuer in the Councels of Nice of Ephesus of Chalcedon the byshops stoode much vppoÌ„ the traditioÌ„ of their elders ea que sunt patrum teneantur say they sic credere à sanctis patribus edocti sumus let vs hold fast the fayth and decrees of our fathers thus to beleeue vve haue bene taught by our holye fathers yet they waÌ„ted not scriptures as nether did the fathers in the Councel of Trent nor we at this day in our controuersies with the protestantes And if those auncient fathers had alleaged no direct euident place against Arrius Nestorius Eutyches yet notwithstanding the Christian people were bound to beleeue them grounding them selues only vpoÌ„ the Catholike vniuersal fayth of the churches which were before them as they did in the question of our B. Ladies perpetual virginitie And albeit the heretike brought some clauses of scripture for the coÌ„trary part yet ought al faithful men to yeld no more credit thereto theÌ„ to the deuil when he alleaged scripture against our sauiour because as the deuil so al heretikes may vse scripture against the true sense and meaning thereof the vniuersal church caÌ„ neuer teach or beleeue so as by Christ him self we are assured And this case in effect coÌ„meth to one issue with the former for geue this scope to an heretike that all the Bishops Churches Fathers may erre he alone if he can alleage a text may therefore rightly contemne al other in respecte of him selfe as euery Sectmaister doth and hath done where is the Churches quietnes what order is there for coÌ„tinuance of fayth to what ende was the comminge of Christ to what vse the sendinge of the holy Ghost Or perhaps M. W. wil say posito per impossibile that all the Churches fathers teach against scripture Luther alone teache with scripture then lo Luther maye thinke him selfe a better man then they all and this is true this I graunte as in like maner I confesse that if the heauen shoulde falle we knowe what woulde folow And yet of these two suppositions the Spirit of God putteth the later to be more possible that the course of heauen shal soner alter then the Catholike Churche of the new TestameÌ„te fal frome Christe to Apostasie But it may be M.VV. wil say I scanne his wordes to narrowlie his meaning is plaine that whereas Luther bringeth scriptures against vs that is against all the Austines and Ciprianes of the Catholike Church all the Byshops now liuinge he maye well truste his owne iudgmente if this be the meaning yet stil al commeth to one ende and whie may Luther so do more then Caluine whie Caluine more then Muncerus whie a ZwingliaÌ„ more then a Puritane Anabaptiste or Trinitarian Or what assurance hath he more then those other But if Luthers iudgment bringinge scriptures with him be so forcible against vs may not we trow you Lutherize a litle after your example and say the same against you As for example Luther hath made a booke entituled defensio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verborum coenae accipite comedite hoc est corpus meum contra fanaticos SacramentarioruÌ„ spiritus In that booke not very longe or large yet contayninge more substaÌ„ce then some whole volumes of his do his principal conclusion risinge vpon this texte of scripture and grounded vpon many texts of scripture beside is that he and his vvill
that taketh avvay the sinnes of the vvorlde Call S. Iohn to M. VVhitakers consistorie he wil â—â—â—ke him recant his speach For first Christ is no lambe because he hath no woll on his backe It is the self same reason which here is vsed against S. Luke about the meâ—â—all of the chalice Then being driuen from that the adsurditie of tautologia still remaineth Behold this lambe is the lambe of God what an idle speache is this what is this double lambe therfore sende it to Geneua to be cast a new in Bezaes forge The Catholiks of old time to proue distinction of persons in the deitie vsed that place of Genesis pâ—uit dâ—miâ—â—â— aâ— domino our Lord rayned from our Lord to proue the Trinity of persoÌ„s they vsed the place of the psalme Benedicat nos Deus Deus noster benedis at nos Deus God our God blesse vs our God blesse vs. This to a Trinitarian is absurda sententia and induceth a pluralitie of Gods vvhereas S. Paule saith vnus Deus vnus Domâ—nus oâ—â— God one Lord what remaineth theÌ„ but that according to the arrest of this supreme arbiter we fall to newe casting of the scripture and so in short space no doubt we shal growe to perfectioÌ„ that is to the Turks Alcoran if we be not come so farre already The scriptures are full of such absurdities which neuerthelesse are absurdities only to carnal cogitatioÌ„s to Sathan Sathans ministers but to theÌ„ that haue learned in the schole of the holy Ghost to subiect their vnderstanding to the obedience of faith they are nothing so And M.W. if he had in him any droppe of religion fayth he should thus thinke Howsoeuer I can reconcile two or three Gods with one the bloud shedd on the crosse with that which was in the chalice were it bloud or wine let Christs wordes stande as he spake them and the Euangelist wrote them and let vs afterward in the name of God be we Lutherans Zuinglians Caluinists Trinitaries or Anabaptists eche according to his priuate spirite search for the sense as wel as we can Christes soule went downe to hell saith our Creede and S. Luke It is absurde sayth Beza and papisticall and therefore for soule I haue translated carcas and for hell graue whom in so doing the English congregation approueth That Christ ascended into heauen it is a fansie of Aristotle and Mahomet sayth Brentius and to the Lutherans it is absurda sententia shal they now leaue out that word and put in the text for ascendit euanuit or disparuit he vanyshed out of sight in steede of he ascended which to them is the true and only sense of the place and which they may and ought to do by like reason and authoritie But S. Basil you say readeth as you translate graunt he did so but what translate you S. Basil or S. Luke if S. Basil you haue done wel to folovv your greeke copye If S. Luke then do you vvickedly to alter S. Luke vpon coniecture of one greeke doctor all greeke copies and doctors being to the contrarie And vvhat if S. Basil in an other place reade otherwise shal we not make a vvise patching of scripture if vpon euerie particular doctors citation vve alter the holie text S. Aug. in many places S. Bernard and other good men dravv exhortatioÌ„s for their frends or monks or people and commonly they do it in the verie phrase of scripture yet because they knitte together many sentences of scriptures that be in diuers places they must of necessitie adde some words or parcels of their owne Nether is it material if ofteÌ„times they leaue out one worde or a fewe words But if by such authoritie we should alter our text we should in short space haue so many texts that in deed we should haue no text because we should haue no certaine text whereunto we might trust And why remember you not that which in this self same place M. Martin tolde you out of Beza who noteth it to be the custome of the auncient fathers in citing scriptures to alleage the sense not to sticke precisely vpoÌ„ the words And that therefore how soeuer they reade that is no certaine rule to reforme or alter the vvordes of scripture But here you make your aduantage of M. Martins words and say if Basil cited not the vvords but the sense of the scripture theÌ„ Beza vvhen he so traÌ„slated missed nothing of the sense so M. Martin doth novv plainly acquite Beza vvhoÌ„ before he accused For if Basils vvords geue a true sense and the interpretation of Beza and ours all agree vvith Basils vvords then your accusation is false that vve had corrupted the sense of the scripture Somewhat you saye and this hath some appearance more then any thing that you haue sayde hitherto yet you reache not home and you are ouer hasty in your conclusion S. Basil geueth a true sense I confesse whether you respecte the particular matter whereunto he applyeth the place or the generall doctrine of the catholike church For his wordes are sufficieÌ„t for the one and the other And so are the wordes in our vulgar Latin and English and may well be taken as agreing with S. Basil hic est calix nouum testamentum in sanguine meo qui pro vobis fundetur This is the chalice the nevv testament in my bloud vvhich shall be shedde for you And whosoeuer readeth and taketh these later wordes as referring them to the bloud of Christ shedde on the crosse he thinketh very well and truly and no man would euer finde fault with such a sense or citation if it stayd there For this nothing impayreth the other truth whereof we speake that the same bloud is in the chalice But when there riseth vp a new heresie by one truth ouerthrowing an other and by one part of the sentence destroyng an other as it fareth betwixt vs this circumstance so farre altereth the case that the old father alleaging the text without any thought or imagination of heresie did well and christianlike the new heretike enforcing the same in defence of heresie doth nâ—ughtely sacrilegrously as for example If some good man as S. Basil or S. Bernard to induce his auditors to the loue of Christ had vsed this sentence of the Apostle In this appeared the benignitie of our lord sauiour tovvards vs that not by the vvorkes of iustice vvhich vve did but of his infinite mercie he saued vs. This place according to the sense had bene well trulye cited For albeit infinite is not in the text yet that is no hinderance to the meaning and although I name not Christ god yet nether that worde hindereth any thing because in a Christian audience it is all one to say our lord and sauiour Christe or our god and sauiour Christe But if there rose vp some Nestorian heretike that should diuide Christ from god and make two
Diuines of the Prince Elector do most filthely and beyonde all measure depraue Luthers vvrytings so as since Luthers death there haue not bene more foule corrupters of Luthers bookes In the same Councel many times they fal into this argumēt and each side in most spitefull termes obiecte to others this faulte as may be seene if you liste to peruse the pages here noted in the margent And in fine there is promise made as a matter of great importance and one of Hercules labours that the Duke of Saxonie will cause Luthers workes to be printed without corruption Illustrissimus Dux Saxoniae curabit tomos Lutheri sine deprauatione typis excudi which notwithstāding is perhaps a harder thing thē the Duke of Saxonie can perfourme though his power were much greater then it is What speake I of the Lutherans with whom Luthers wordes be autenticall and litle inferior to scripture whereas the very Caluinists and that in Geneua where Caluin is all in all yet notwithstanding haue in their prints corrupted Luthers works whereof Ioachim VVestphalus a Lutheran thus wryteth in his Apologie against the slanders of Caluin I Marueil much sayeth he that Caluin keeping such a doe about this one vvord could not see the most filthy mutations and corruptions of the diuine commentarie of D. Luther vpon the epistle to the Galatians and translated into French and printed at Geneua In one place some vvordes are taken avvay in an other many mo some vvhere vvhole paragraphs are lopte of in the exposition of the sixte chapter tvvo pages and an halfe are lefte out vvhere Luther doth reproue the Sacramentaries there especially those falsifiers tooke to them selues libertie to mutilate to take avvay to blotte out and change some vvhere they remoue the name of Sacramentaries at other tymes they haue put in vvordes such as pleased them and that this vvas done at Geneua vvithout Caluins knovvledge it is not very lykely And touching this very place wherof we treate when Coclaeus obiected it to Bullinger as now M. Martin did to M. W. he answered not denyinge that which was so publyke and notorious but Guperem Lutherum sobrié magis modestaus circumspectius c. I vvoulde to God Luther had iudged and geuen his sentence more soberlye discreetelye and circumspectly of Sainte Iames his Epistle and the Apocalips of Sainte Iohn and certayne other Add we herevnto M. W. owne confession set downe in this preface I confesse sayth he that Luther hath vvritten in a certen place that Iames his Epistle is not to be compared vvith the Epistles of Peter and Paule and that in comparison of them it may be iudged an epistle made of stravv Which a man would thinke were sufficiente to cleare M. Martin and M. Campian and to condemne Luther and M. Whitaker For how or in what comparison coulde Luther so speake but onely to disgrace that epistle in respect of other scripture to make it light and contemptible that is not to make it scripture at all For if he thought it to proceede from the holy Ghost as did the bookes of the Prophets the Gospels and Epistles of Sainte Paule how coulde he without intollerable iniurye done to the holy Ghost so debase that wryting which he beleeued to proceede from his diuine inspiration But M. Whitaker replyeth That vvorde albeit I defende not yet iustly may I say that Luther is iniuried vvhen he is accused to haue reiected as made of stravv that epistle and playnely and simply to haue named it so vvhereas he called it so in comparison especially vvhereas these vvordes are not founde in the bookes of later printes and excepte I by chaunce had happened vpon a most auncient edition I might haue sought long inough in the later Confesse you then that there hath bene such choppinge and changinge in Luthers workes that the one differ so far from the other namely in this very point How standeth this now with your former bold asseueration It is certaine there vvas neuer any one vvorde changed therein And what reason haue you better to credit these later printes sett furth by Luthers scholers then the auncient set furth by the maister and author Luther him selfe But to end this matter may it please you to reade Father Duraeus there shall you be informed in what print and edition of Luther these wordes are to be reade to wit not in the later of VVittēberg corrected and corrupted by the ciuill Lutherans but in the more auncient of Iena a Citie in religion lutherish to but yet after a more exacte and precise order then are those other There may you finde that Pomerane a greate Euangelist among the lutherans touchinge S. Iames Epistle wryteth thus Fayth vvas reputed to Abraham for iustice by this place thou mayest note the error of the epistle of Iames vvherein thou feest a vvicked argument besides that he concludeth ridiculously he citeth scripture against scripture vvhich thing the holy Ghost can not abyde vvherefore that epistle may not be numbred amongest other bookes vvhich set foorth the iustice of fayth There may you finde Vitus Theodorus preacher of Norimberg in hye Germanie wryting thus The epistle of Iames and Apocalips of Iohn vve haue of set purpose lefte out because the epistle of Iames is not onely in certayne places reprouable vvhere be to much aduaunceth vvorkes agaynst fayth but also his doctrine through out is patched together of dyuers peeces vvhereof no one agreeth vvith an other Vnto these you may add for your better satisfaction the iudgement of the Centuries noted by F. Campian though not touched by you They say that the epistle of Iames much svvarueth from the analogie of the Apostolicall doctrine vvhereas it ascribeth iustification not to onely fayth but to vvorks and calleth the lavv a lavv of libertie And in the next booke Against Paule and against all scriptures the epistle of Iames attributeth iustice to vvorkes and peruerteth as it vvere of set purpose that vvhich Paule disputeth Rom. 4. out of Genes 15. that Abraham vvas iustified by onely fayth vvithout vvorkes and affirmeth that Abraham obteyned iustice by vvorkes You may add Luther him selfe in his commentarie vpon S. Peter ep 1. ca. 1. fol. 439.440 in the common edition of Wittemberg where after he hath geuen many rules taken from his owne licentious doctrine wherby to discerne the true and canonicall scriptures from false and Apocriphal of them al thus he concludeth pa. 442. Atque inde etiam facile discitur epistolam D. Iacobi nomine inscriptam handquaquam Apostolicam esse epistolam nullum enim prope elementum in ea de his rebus legis Hereby vve easely learne that it is no Apostolical Epistle vvhich goeth in S. Iames his name for there is in it no letter or title of these matters that is of onely fayth confidence resurrection c. whereby we must esteeme of true
hebrue nor yet the hebrue bible true by which she might once againe mende and correct the latin And here let the reader waigh whether we thinking of the Church as we doe thinking of Christes promise and the assistance of the holy Ghost as christian faith teacheth vs whereby we are most assuredly perswaded that she neuer erreth nor euer can erre damnably whether we I say haue not great reason to support our opinion which here we defend Caluin in his Institutions recounting certaine causes why the auncient writers speake so reuerently and yeld so much to the Romane church amongst other putteth this for one That vvhereas the churches of the East part and of Greece as also of Africa vvereful of tumultes and dissensions amonge them selues the Romane church vvas more quits then other and lesse troublesome For as the vvesterne people are lesse sharp quick of vvit then they of Asia and Africa so much lesse desyrous are they of nouelties This therefore added very much authoritie to the Romane church that in those doubtful times she vvas not so vnquiet as vvere the other and the doctrine once deliuered to her she held and retayned more fast then did all the rest This grace of constancy in the faith and truth once receaued when as the aduersaries yeld to the Romane church and reproue the Oriental and greeke church for lightnes inconstancie mutabilitie in the same kind we who beleeue the same grace of god to haue stil remained haue iust occasion to thinke that she was as tenax as constant in preseruing the truth of the bibles as of other parts of religiō wherein by Caluines verdite she excelled al churches vnder the sunne And if the greeke churches then in that prime flower were so mutable and incōstant and so far inferior to the latin in this respect especiallie of holding fast matters of religion once deliuered vnto them with what iudgement or conscience can we magnifie the later ages of those Greekes who much more haue deflected from the Catholike Apostolike faith haue more decayed in learning vertue and al good qualities haue degenerated almost in to a barbarisme and are now fallen in to such miserie ignorance and slauery as euerie man seeth much lesse can we mention in this comparison the Iewes Synagog who hauing the maledictiō of god vpō them as many times our Sauiour foretold in the gospel are not only quite destitute of the graces of god but also for the most part seeme altogether void of the giftes of nature of vvit iudgement policie and ordinarie humane discourse But al this vvil M.W. say is but coniecture and as probablie he disputeth against it for the contrarie part that in the hebrue and greeke there is no corruption For if it be so that the Ievves and heretikes haue laboured so much herein vvho can doubt but they haue attempted this especially in these places and sentences of scriptures vvhich the Church of Christ most vsed for confirmation of her faith and religion There are most euident testimonies of scriptures by vvhich the Ievves and all heretikes are refuted tel vs vvhat in them haue those men peruerted but that they remaine vnto vs safe and sound Neuer vvould other Ievv or heretike corrupt the scriptures except he thought that might be to him some vvaie commodious for the mainteining of his monstruous opinions VVherefore seing those places are safe by vvhich the Ievves are refelled and the heretikes of al times are killed this must needes seeme a fained tale vncredible and false vvhich you bring that the fountaines are corrupted To satisfie M.W. longing who would so faine know wherein the Iewes or heretikes haue falsified the bibles I wil seuerally geue him examples some sithence S. Hieroms tyme and some before and acknovvledged by S. Hierom him self from whom M. W. taketh most in commendation of the hebrue fountaines And that those fountaines are somewhat infected and degenerated from that puritie which they had in S. Hieroms time and before I proue by euident reason manifest experimentes plaine confessions of our more learned aduersaries First touching the hebrue S. Hierom read and translated according to the ordinarie reading and pointing of his time Esaie 9. Puer datus est nobis et filius natus est nobis et vocabitur nomen eius admirabilis consiliarius Deus fortis pater futuri saeculi princeps pacis A child is geuen to vs and a Sonne is borne to vs and he shalbe called Admirable a Counseller God Strong Father of the vvorld to come Prince of peace And in his commentarie expressing euerie word he maketh no doubt of any other reading Forsake the latin and go to your Iewes and their hebrue fountaines now and what find you pro thesaur◠carbones Thus. Puer datus est nobis et filius natus est nobis et vocabit nomen eius qui est admirabilis consiliarius deus fortis et pater aeternitatis vel futuri seculi principem pacis VVhereby is taken from Christ as principal a testimonie of his diuinitie as any we find in the old testament And whence cōmeth this alteratiō but from the iniquitie of the Iewes who haue altered the passiue vocabitur into the actiue vocabit geuē other pointes then were vsed or read in S. Hieromes time And this Luther confesseth manifestly Totus hic textus miserè sceleratè saith he a Iudaeis est crucifixus c. This vvhole text is miserably and vilanouslly crucified depraued and corrupted by the Ievves For as the child him self vvas crucified of them so by the same men both this place and his scripture or scripture appertayning to him is daily crucified The prophete attributeth six names to the child and sonne the Ievves reade the first fiue in the nominatiue case the sixt in the accusatiue and they al expound it of Ezechias vnder whom God gaue that great victorie against Sēnacherib And in the same place The text seemeth to haue bene corrupted by those that put to the points The letters vvhether ye reade them vvith pointes or vvithout pointes are alone and the grammer doth beare it vvel but the Ievves most pestilent men oft tymes corrupte sentences of the prophetes by their pointes distinctions But let it suffice vs that the Chaldee interpreter and the 70. thinke as vve do Thus Luther condemning of vile corruption on your pure originals geuing withal this general rule that the Iewes most pestilent men haue no conscience in that foule abusing and altering and crucifying the scriptures no more then they had in crucifying Christ and that therefore he preferreth the Septuaginta and Chaldee interpreter before al the hebrew copies VVhich reason touching Luther and the Protestantes is nothing at al. For the Chaldee interpreter is no more the hebrevv original then is Luthers translation And the translatiō of the 70. which is now extant besides that it is ful of diuersitie
do these former of Christ his deitie It is touching his passion and our redemption and sheweth that the Protestantes them selues esteeme more of our translatiō not only then of al the hebrew bibles which are now currant but also then those that were in S. Hieroms time And therefore to answere your misapplied allegations by your owne English translations confer you your English bibles in the 53. chapter of Esaie with your hebrew fountaines Our translation hath thus Generationem eius quis enarr abit quoniam abscissus est de terra viuentium propter scelus populi mei percussi eum VVho shal declare his generation for he is cut of from the land of the liuing for the sinne of my people haue I smitten him A plaine testmonie that God laid vpon our Sauiour our iniquities which is the sūme of the chapter that he therefore was true man and withal as before is declared that he was true God whose generation was inexplicable for so do the fathers cōmonly expound that parcel So that in this one verse we haue the true effect of Christs death and passion besides his diuine and humaine nature The 70. translate it thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the iniquities of my people he vvas lead to death The hebrew bibles in S. Hieroms time did reade thus Generationem c. propter scelus populi mei percussit eos For the sinne of my people he stroke them The hebrew bibles in our time though in sense agree yet in reading seeme to differ hauing thus A preuaricatione populi mei plaga vel percussio ipsis Because of the transgression of my people a vvound vvas geuen to them which inuerteth the sense and maketh a great alteration as euerie man may see The English bible of the yere 1577. translateth it vvhich punishment did go vpon him for the transgression of my people of the yere 1579. For the transgression of my people vvas he plagued And this sense commonly others folow as Castalio the French the Geneua bible c. which is the sense word of our latin translation not of the hebrew text Only the English translator of the yere 1562. foloweth nether the 70. not greeke nor latin but the brainsicke fansie of his owne head making a mingle mangle and thrusting in a patch of his owne Thus he goeth to worke vvhose generation yet vvho may number he vvas cut of from the ground of the liuing vvhich punishmēt did go vpon him for the transgression of my people vvho in deede had deserued that punishment where in deede he deserueth a whippe plaieth not only a foolish but also a wicked part in adding that later sentence to the text only because he would seeme to come somewhat nye the hebrew which for al that he toucheth not Luther vvho folovveth the error of the hebrew copies exclaimeth vpō the Iewes for their old spitful malicious māgling of this text as of many other Thus he translateth cōmenteth vpon it Propter trāsgressiones populi mei plaga eis for the sinnes of my people a vvoūd to them This place is somevvhat obscure and hard because of the novvne of the plural nūber lamo The 70. read pro sua iustitia vel potius malitia ductus est ad mortē For his iustice or rather malice he vvas lead to death Wherein I marueile at Luthers reading of the 70. For S. Hierom citeth them far othervvise and far othervvise is it in the common prints novv extāt for ought I can find Which agree vvith the citation of S. Hier. before noted But proceede we on Our interpreter saith Luther meaning the latin vsed in the Church turneth it thus propter peccata populi mei per cussi eum For the sinnes of my people haue I smitten him An excellent sentence but the Grammar doth not vvel beare it Much here are vve beholding to the deuil and to the Ievves vvho haue not only depraued filthily but also cōfoūded this as much as is possible by their diuisions And those that studie hebrevv must note this that the Ievves vvheresoeuer they can depraue the meaning of the prophete by their vvicked expositions vvhere they can not do so by their distinctions or diuisions as in Daniel The 70. vveeks are abbridged there a man vvith his fingers may feele their corruption vvhere they separate and teare a sunder these thinges that are to be ioyned and al this in despite of the Christians VVherefore I leaue this to those that be studious of the hebrevv tōge that they marke the malice of the deuil and the Rabbines vvhose only studie and labour is to depraue teare a sunder and turne vpside dovvne the prophetical and Christian sense In vvhich chapter againe he calleth them corruptores scriptorum propheticorum corrupters of the vvritings of the prophetes And in this one place besides the authoritie of Luther besides the general rules vvhich he deduceth vvilling vs euer to bevvare of the Rabbines and Ievves vvhose vvhole studie is to abuse deface the scriptures in despite of vs and our religion and therefore smale reason hath M. W. to make so much of them as he doth I note tvvo sortes and maners of their corruption The first is by plaine alteratiō of points and letters and sillables For certaine it is our translator and the 70. neuer trāslated these hebrew vvordes vvhich now stand in this text or as vve find in S. Hierom. The second vvhich specially Luther noteth in Daniel is by diuiding vvordes vvhich by the prophete vvere ioyned vvhich is as vile and desperate a corruption as may be So for exāple Seruetus auoided the authoritie of the Apostle S. Paule affirming Christ to be God For being vrged vvith these vvordes Ex quibus est Christus secundum carnem qui est super omnia deus benedictus in secula Of vvhom that is of the Ievves race is Christ according to the flesh vvho is God blessed for euer which contayne a sure testimonie that Christ vvas not only man as Seruetus vvould haue him but also God most blessed he vvel acquainted vvith Bezaes maner of correcting the testamēt ansvvered after this Ievvish tricke that he beleeued vvith al his hart vvhat so euer S. Paule that elect vessel of the Lord had vvritten mary it seemed to him that S. Paule said not so and pleaded his greeke testament vvhere thus stoode that sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of vvhom is Christ according to the flesh vvho is aboue al. And there making a ful distinction then folovveth the rest as a thankesgeuing The Lord be praysed for euer amen And thus haue the. Ievves done in very many places of scripture by Luthers verdicte Sundrie other particular errors could I note vnto thee Christiā reader in the hebrew had I but a peece of that insolent vaine which many of our aduersaries haue and vvherein they triumphe against men of great and excellent learning such as of vvhom
because they generally though not in euery place haue folowed the cōmon points and vowels according to which they frame vs their common Gloses Commentaries and Dictionaries But this very pointe is a sea of disputation and writing and therefore for a final conclusion to shew that the Protestants appealing to the hebrew vvil shortly fal to very plaine Atheisme I demaund of M. Whit. this question whether he thinke it flat Atheisme and Turkerie to denie that Christ vvas borne of a virgin I trust he wil cōfesse vvith vs that this denial is the denial and abnegation of al Christianitie For though they care not greatly vvhether mē thinke our Lady to haue remained a virgin in Christs birth or after Christs birth yet they seeme to beleeue most assuredly that she vvas a virgin vvhen she conceaued him That being graunted that this denial is plaine apostasie I require of him vvhat scripture he hath to proue that veritie for church Traditiō Fathers such other I know he contemneth and vve are bound to beleue nothing say they but that which is in plaine scripture The only place that may serue the turne is the first of S. Matth. for the allegories of Ezechiel conuince not vvhere it is said Ecce virgo concipiet c. Behold a virgin shal cōceaue bring forth a sonne But this place proueth nothing by M. W. ovvne rule by Bezaes common kinde of scanning such citations and by the Protestants interpretation of this place ether because the translation is framed according to the 70. not the hebrevv and so it is no scripture by M. W. or if it be then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 virgin accordinge to the hebrew must signifie a yonge vvenche adolescētula siue virgo siue maritata by Beza his rules and so saith Munster as vvel virgin as not virgin or because the most precise Iudaical Protestants translate it so to put the matter out of doubt So for example translateth Oecolampadius in the bibles of Basile which Bullinger in the preface so much commēdeth Ecce adolesentula illa praegnans et partens filium Beholde that yonge vvenche great vvith childe and Munster precisely according to the hebrevv as he sayth Ecce virgo illa impraegnata Beholde that virgin gotten vvith childe And hovvsoeuer M. W. may cauil vpon the later the first is mere Iudaical no wayes Christian and the peruersion rather of a monster then of a man as Luther pronounceth against Erasmus for the like cause and yet I acknovvledge according to the heretical maner of examining citations the hebrevv vvord may beare that sense vvhich Oecolāp yeldeth so did those old renegates and enemies of our religion Aquila Ponticus and Theodotion translate that vvord vpon which translation aftervvards the beggerly Ebionites founded their beastly opinion touching the maner of Christs incarnation And here Christian reader I haue to request thee not so to interpreete me in any thing which I haue spoken as though I coueted to disgrace the study of greeke and hebrew as this man would haue thee to conceaue of vs condēned those languages which I cōfesse to be great helpes to the attaining of the true sense in sūdrie places of scripture condemne my selfe for knowing so litle as I do in ether of them both And manifest it is what paine the Catholiks haue taken in setting forth the bible most perfitly and diligently in the Hebrew Chaldee Greeke and Arabike languages what labour they haue taken about the Greeke translation of the Septuaginta How continually and at this present most honorable Prelates and Cardinals other men of great name employ them selues in the same kinde of study to the end they may procure al helpes so far as is possible for the perfite vnderstādinge of the sacred scriptures How in most Catholike Vniuersities mē excellent for skil in these languages florish and are maintained to the great aduauncemēt of the faith Church Catholike with the liste or cataloge of whose names I thinke it needeles to trouble the reade◠because otherwise they are wel knowen to the Christian world But this I say thou shalt finde it true when soeuer thou commest to examine these matters with that aduisednes and maturitie of iudgement as the thing it selfe requireth that who so wil goe about to picke his faith out of the greeke and hebrew testaments without a setled and constant forme of faith before and from which he must not be drawen by any pretense of greeke hebrew his greeke hebrew wil neuer make him a Christian wil neuer establish him in any true faith Aquila Ponticus first a Christian after a Iewe was very perfect in the hebrew and translated the bible so as S. Hierom calleth him to his praise Diligentissimum verborum hebraicorum interpretem A most diligent interpreter of the hebrevv vvords and yet howe good a Christiā he was is noted before The Arrians Trinitarians Anabaptistes and Lutherans of our time want they greeke or hebrew No dout their arrogancie and pride which for their greeke hebrevv they cōceaue is a great cause of their continual alteration from one heresie to an other as vve see in the stories of Melancthon Blandrata Bernardinus Ochinus c. Before vve vvere Grecians or Hebritians or in deede Englishmen or vnderstoode any letter of any lāguage first of al vve were Christiās we were graffed into the Catholike Church the mystical body of Christ and made members of the same and by solemne vowe we bound our selues to honor loue reuerence and cleaue to her as the piller firmament of truth the spouse of Christ our diuine mother the arke of Noe and kingedome of God without which there is no way but death and damnation Let vs hold this fast and then our greeke and hebrevv may doe vs some good Let vs depart from her talke vve so longe as vve list of our greeke and hebrevv as S. Peter sayd of Simon Magus money so that vvil be to vs In perditionem To our euerlastinge destruction it vvil neuer doe vs good And as S. Austin sayth in the meane season vvhile the vnlearned rise get possession of heauē Nos cū doctrinis nostris ecce vbi volutamur in carne et sanguine We vvith our greeke hebrevv vvhat other learning so euer shal alwaies be tumbling in flesh bloud in continual braules and contentions vvhich vvil set vs the right vvay to hell CHAP. XV. Hovv M.VV. inueigheth against the nevv testament lately set forth in this colledge vvith a cleare refutation of such faultes as he findeth in the translation thereof Here now is the place to speake of our late English trāslation set forth in this colledge For though M. W. vpon passion and heate disorderlye before he had spoken of the originals and in respect of them condemned our latin reproued vs for translating according to the latin
vvorst of al other 381.382.383.384 he then most busily corrupteth scripture vvhen it is most to the dishonour of Christ 384.385 M. W. inuectiue against the late Catholike translation of the new Testament 444. it is mere histrionical 445.446.448 in condemning it he reproueth himself 447.454.455 the hypocrisie of his accusation 449.450 Notable bragging and lying 459.460.461 how weakely he iustifieth his inuectiue 462.463 he obiecteth only two faults 263.264 both false and if they were true of no importance 464.470.472.473 What they are in particular 464. his vnconscionable dealing 472.473 What is principally requisite in a Translator of scripture pa. 371.372.375 Translations more autentical then the original pa. 290.291.306 V Of the name Vniuersaliâ— See Primacie W Arguments that Good vvorkes are not the cause of saluation pa. 95. refuted at large 99.100.101 c. Good vvorkes in Christians are cause of saluation pa. 99.100 vsque ad 106. 418.421.422.423 as euil workes are cause of damnation 104.105.106.107 See Heauen Good vvorkes are in no respect necessary to saluation by the Protestants doctrine pa. 110.111.113 their argumentes prouing the same 112.113 The fathers doctrine touching good vvorkes set downe by M. W. pa. 115. the wickednes thereof 116.118.119 they are therefore condemned by Luther as verie Iewes 120.121.122 M.W. notable wrangling pa. 14.15 his manifold ouersights 97.98 he vnderstandeth not the Protestants doctrine of only faith 109. he commonly contradicteth him self 23.25.114.115.123.126.319 he proueth the English ministers to be Antichrists for sayng Communion 127.128 how fondly he answereth a place of S. Chrysost 204.206.211.212 his straunge assertion that only the hebrue text is scripture 286.287 Refuted 287.288.289 he calleth S. Austin a Sorbonist for his doctrine touching the value of good workes p. 543.545.546 and by like reason al the Apostles and Prophetes pag. 545.546 his arrogancie in condemning al doctors 495.496 et praef pag. 44.45 The summe of his answering D. Sanders consisteth partly in preferring him self before al other pref pa. 42. ad 51. partly in leauing out the substance of D.S. arguments ibid. pa. 75. vsque ad 81. Z Zuinglius the Apostle of the English church pref pa. 89.90 Zuinglians notable lyers pag. 525.526.555 and braggers 554. their maner of writing pref pa. 81.82 The faultes correct thus Pa. 4 linea 13. for charged reade charging Ibidem in many copies wanteth a marginal note Contra Campian pag. 11. Pa. 41 li. 26. Estaticus reade Ecstaticus Pa. 85. lin 6. Christ reade Christes Pa. 145. lin 18. forth reade forth Pa. 195. l. 17. argumenr reade argument Pa. 328. li. 8. for the two hebrew letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where also in some few examples the later hebrue word is diuided which should be ioyned Some other faultes there are of like qualitie especially of one letter for an other as s for f and r for t and in one place of some copies is vvhich for vvhich is al which considering the ordinarie difficulties of printing where straungers are the workers coÌ„positors correctors besides other extraordinarie mishaps I trust the Reader of his curtesie wil easely pardon Whom I request if by reading hereof he fynde ought for the encrease of his faith towardes Christ and his Church Catholike euen for loue of the same Christ and Church to help me with his prayer FINIS Contra Sand. pa. 5. in fine Ib. pa. 6. in principio M.W. knoweth not wel what that Antichrist is against whom he writeth Lucian de vera historia lib. 1. Cyclades Lucians historical verities the Protestants Euangelical verities are of like nature and probabilitie Much good time spent in reading or refuting heretical bookes 1. Tim. 6. Tertul. de praescript Heretikes are generally proude and ignoraÌ„t 2. Timoth. 6. v. 4. W. contra Sand. pag. 250. See after chap. 7. pag. 130.131 Whit. contra Camp pag. 154. Ibi pag. 153. Fulke con Mart. pag. 64 65. in sine Supra pa. 4. A strange proposition to say the church is Antichrist In the Protestants faith there is no cercertaintie In their writing and disputing there is no ground That the Protestantes haue no certaine fayth The Prince supreme head of the church The Prince not supreme head of the church A declaration of the iust c. Printed by special commaundement and licence â—no â—532 a pag. 411. Cart. in his second reply b 412. c 413. d 414. Ibi. 419 Communion booke in the forme of publike baptisme Baptisme remitteth sinnes Baptisme remitteth not sinnes Tower disputatioÌ„ the second day Priuate baptisme allowed Priuate baptisme disallowed M. W. contra Sander pag. 276.278 Ficta quaedam necessitas Great difference and coÌ„trarietie in the Communion bookes The sacrameÌ„t of confirmation admitted Refused T.C. pa. 174 apud Whitg pag. 785. Christ descended into hel Christ descended not into hel Carlile Caluin Instit aedit anno 1553. ca. 7 ¶ 28. et in postre aeditione l. 2. c 16. ¶ 9. Christs diuinitie graunted Christs diuinitie denyed M. Whit. contra Campian pag. 25.2.153.154 Sleid. Coâ—â— 17. an 1546. Rebellion against princes iustified and commended Ibidem lib. 8. an 1531. fol. 124. Ibid. lib. 22. an 1550. fol. 411. Sleid. li. 18 anno 1546 fol. 320. Beza ad D. Elizabeth Angl. Regi in praefat noui testament aedit 1565. Fox Actes and monumentes pa. 250.255.257 Ibi. pa. 251.252 a pa. 250. ad 260. Vbi supra pag. 250. Ibi. pag. 260 Gilbie Goodman c. WomeÌ„ may beare no rule ouer men in matters temporal The boâ—kes were pâ—inted at Geneua the yere 1558. yere 1559. Women may beare rule ouer men in al matters temporal and spiritual The Communion booke in the beginning before morning praier Copes and such like ornaments approued CoÌ„demned General chaunges and contrarieties in faith Foâ— actes monumeÌ„tes pag. 586. Real presence CommunioÌ„ in one kynd Mariage of priests vnlawful Vowes of chastitie Priuate masse Auricular confession These articles were according to the law of God in king Henries time Ibi. pag 587 The same articles were contrarie to the law of God in king Edwards time Fox vbi su in historia Cranmeri pag. 1473. A realme pitifully ordered where a chyld of 9 yeres old may by order of law ouerthrow al religion Chaunge vpoÌ„ chauÌ„ge D. Whitg Defensâ—a pa. 31. vsque ad 51. Ibi. pag. 178 Infinite difference betwene our English protestants and those of other nations Whit. Def. Tract 1. p. 74 A rule most assured Groundes or heads of disputation In the protestants writing or disputing there is no grouÌ„d Scripture denyed Whit. contra Camp pag. 17. Traditions of the Apostles denyed General Councels denyed T.C. pag. 16. apud D. Wh. Tract 2. p. 95 Of this see more chap. 3.5.7.17 after in the praeface Auncient doctors of the Catholike Church denyed Whit. coÌ„tra Sand. pa. 92. then we perceaue to be agreable to scripture Si vel intogrum patruÌ„ Senatum in nos commoueris D.